Innocence lost
by Trevor the Enchanter
Summary: 5 months after his battle, Bart has become more mature and was hoping to relax. Once he finds it impossible, how will he be able to stop a new enemy, along with Gideon, Elizabeth, and his alternate self at the same time?
1. Old and New enemies

Welcome to the sequel! As for you Danny Phantom fans, the plotline will probably make more sense than for people who have never heard of it. To be honest, I'm just trying to keep myself busy after what happened. Moaning about it won't help anything.

"Jeez, it's been two weeks without a prank." Bart said to himself, thinking on the roof. "This must be a new record for me." Around 5 months ago, he was forced to face his future where he was a city-destroying demon. He managed to beat him, but only because Heaven's army trapped him in a dome. Even now, he still had nightmares about it.

_At least it helped us out when we were on the run. _Bart thought. His powers had grown over that period, although he wasn't able to pierce the dome. At least they were more than enough to take out the soldiers. Bart was careful not to kill anyone, as he did not want that on his conscience. The family managed to find professor Frink's invention, and burned a hole through the dome.

For once, they had actually cooperated. It took a lot of time to convince Homer to come with them, and was only accomplished when he threatened to destroy his beer supply. As a result, the townspeople had gradually accepted them back, although there were still a lot of hard feelings on both sides. "At least that future was averted." Bart told himself. "I'm actually getting good grades in school."

"Bart, what are you doing out here?" asked Lisa, walking up to him.

"How did you get on the ceiling?" Bart asked.

"It's called a ladder, Bart." Lisa rolled her eyes. "Mom wanted me to tell you it's time for dinner. You better hurry, or Dad's going to eat your food."

"Fine, fine." Bart jumped off the roof and floated down. Despite the circumstances in which he got them, he enjoyed using them, especially now that e had some control.

"Bart, you're not supposed to use your powers in public!"

"All right, all right; quit lecturing me." He walked into the house, where Homer was trying to swallow a large piece of chicken. As he grabbed another piece, Bart used his abilities to get it out of his reach.

"You think you're smarter than me, chicken?" Homer laughed. "Try and stay out of my mouth!" He grabbed for it several times, but Bart lifted it out of his reach. "Oh, why is life so hard?" Bart then hit his father on the head with it. "Why, you little…" He tried going for it again, but tripped over some dropped food.

"Bart, I've told you not to use your powers to annoy your father." Marge scolded.

"That was you?" Homer said in shock. "You're punished! Go to your room. You're grounded for a… oh, God!" He started floating up in the air.

"I don't know how I survived without these things." Bart chuckled and flew off. It was almost night and he had some vigilante work to do. He put on a rough costume, which covered his face and appeared to be a cape. "Man, black looks good on me." _Oh, well; it's not like anyone would recognize me, especially Chief Piggum._

He flew up into the air, wondering what he could do. Bart never wanted the hero role; it was sort of forced on him. Bart spotted someone on the bridge, preparing to jump. He flew faster and caught him in mid-air, nearly groaning when he realized who it was. "I've had to do this three times." Bart told Moe with annoyance. "Just get some therapy!"

"I've tried; they don't want nothing to do with me!" Moe complained. "Stop catching me; I want to end my life."

"Then I've got the perfect place for you." Bart smirked. He flew to the Springfield mental hospital and told the doctors to admit him. Moe cursed and struggled, but it didn't help him. Once he flew off, he started thinking. _So what do I do now? _

After stopping a few more robberies, he landed on the Springfield sign. Bart pondered on the future; he did not want to become his alternate self, but what could he do? Many people did not accept him, despite the fact he had saved Springfield and stopped crimes on a daily basis. Even pranks were getting boring because they were so easy now.

"So what do we do with these things?" a voice asked.

"We set them loose on Springfield and watch the city tear itself apart." Another voice replied, this one female. Bart decided to investigate, although he was careful to stay silent.

"It should be an interesting method of revenge, to say the least." The man laughed. "Now they can be stopped if caught early, so we should set them in isolated areas. What about the homeless? No one cares about them."

"Yes, they would be interesting targets. How many did you manage to retrieve?"

9; I tried to get more, but Satan discovered me. I was barely able to get away."

"Then use them carefully. Springfield has changed much, but I do remember it. Hold on… I thought I saw something."

Bart gulped to himself, hardly daring to move. The two figures looked around, and then the man spotted him. "He's here!" The man exclaimed, swinging a scythe. Bart flew up, managing to get away, and fired an energy blast into his chest.

"Is this one of the angels?" the female mused. "No, he's using dark energy!" She charged up lightning in her fingertips and launched it. This hit Bart dead on, sending him to the ground. She extended her wings, and revealed her fangs. "Let's show this fool what our true power is!"

_Shit, this is bad. _Bart thought to himself. He made a quick analysis of the situation. Both of them were at least as powerful as himself, maybe more, and were truly pissed off. _I wonder what they're planning. Well, I better get out of here or I won't be able to find out. _He dodged more energy from the duo and fired again, meant as a distraction.

Unfortunately, they knew enough not to fall for it. The man swung his scythe, but this time Bart was ready. He grabbed it and tried to wrestle it away. "Whatever you are, you will die!" the man screamed.

"There's something familiar about him, but what?" the woman mused, figuring her husband could handle himself for the moment. "He's… a Simpson! I should have known!" She became even angrier and charged towards Bart, who screamed in surprise.

"Who… who the hell are you?" Bart demanded, struggling to get out of her grip.

"Me? I am Elizabeth Crosse, your annihilator!" she screamed, tightening her grip. "How did you obtain those powers? Even I did not get them until I reached maturity."

Bart fired an energy blast in her chest, giving him space to breathe. "You'll pay for that." Gideon promised, firing dark energy yet again. Bart dodged quite easily, as his rage unbalanced him.

"Okay, you two are truly nuts." Bart told them, punching Gideon in the jaw. He laughed, and used his magic to hold him still. Bart breathed heavily, struggling to break free. His hands glowed, but instead of a blast, he conjured a shield around himself. "Cool, a new power." He took advantage of their momentary shock to get away.

"He can't hide from us; let's get him." Gideon suggested with a sadistic grin.

"No, no, not just yet." Elizabeth replied, musing. "His powers are equal to yours and almost mine. How did this happen? Perhaps we can find a way to use it for ourselves… after releasing these creatures. Gideon, remove the barrier." He did so and she observed the eggs. "They'll never know what hit them. I intend to destroy the city myself but they will do for a distraction."

"Elizabeth, I still worry about that boy. There is a aura of darkness around him, not nearly as potent as ours, but I believe it has the ability to far surpass us."

"I've already put a tracking spell on him." She placed the eggs in dark alleys and near an abandoned house where children doubtless liked to inside and explore. "Now for the boy; yes, I see his location."

"Be careful; you know what runs in his blood."

"Yes, I know very well! He will burn, him and everyone in his family! I'll enjoy tearing those fools apart!"

"Ah shut up! I have a hangover!" said a homeless man she didn't recognize. Elizabeth turned her furious glare onto him, and used her claws to rip his heart out.

"Fools, did you think you could escape me?" a voice laughed. Gideon and Elizabeth got into defensive positions, but a hole opened up and they were sucked in. Gideon tried to get Elizabeth out of range, but the force was too strong for even their power.

XXXXX

"She's off visiting her husband, no doubt." Demon Bart laughed, thinking of his guardian. Maude had often visited her husband when she felt that there was no other duties for her to perform. "I wonder how God would react if he found out she was betraying his trust?"

He actually kind of preferred her around, though. Demon Bart had nothing to do in prison, and even resorted to friendly conversation. Besides, he had a certain respect for her. He owed her husband his life, after all. _I wonder if he would have defended me if he knew what I was going to become? Oh, well, that's in the past… well, my past._

Slowly, his former strength began to return and he pounded against the barriers. Bart yelled in fury musing about his failed attempts to break free in the past. True, the dome was heavily battered, but nothing had yet shattered it. 2 months ago, he attempted his sonic scream, but even that failed.

Bart focused on his hate for his younger self. Why was he allowed to be happy when all he had was misery? All he wanted to do was burn Springfield to the ground, to where not even ruins remained of the city. As for his weakness… there were many ways of torturing a child.

"I wonder if he's used his abilities on Sideshow Bob?" He thought to himself. "Probably not; that is, unless there was no other way out. Ha, I can't believe I used to be so weak.

_And yet he beat me. _That thought was more than a little unsettling. True, he was amazingly lucky, and even then, could not finish his superior, but still… the fact he was beaten at all was amazing. "If Lovejoy and Piggum survived, they'd probably try to give him the medal of honor." Over the years, the best machinery humans had was sent against him, and were torn to shreds with pathetic ease. The only real challenge happened to be Professor Frink's inventions and eventually, even those were useless.

When he had nothing to do, Bart generally sunk into depression. He watched his family die over and over again, wishing he could have stopped it. _You __could have; you chose to keep your power rather than save their lives. _"Shut up!" Bart roared, scaring away everyone nearby. He floated to the window and looked outside. It was always the same, but it was better than nothing.

"Hello, Bart; still here?" Maude asked kindly.

_Like I have a choice, _Bart rolled his eyes, but kept it to himself. She was the only one who was even remotely tolerable. "I've been trying to keep myself occupied; it's not easy.

"I imagine it isn't; thinking about your family?" she smiled.

"Yes, and I'm trying not to. You try watching everyone you love slaughtered by an angry and then have them hunt you down day after day! Try not knowing when they'll find you and try to give you the same treatment!" He punched the dome with all his strength, making a large dent. A plan was beginning to form in his head.

"I can't imagine what it's like, but brooding on it won't help you. That tragedy has been averted here… despite your best efforts." She gave him a stern glare. Bart's evil self was more complex than she thought, but it didn't mean he got away with anything.

"Leave me alone; I don't want to remember that shit. My weakling self… he gets to enjoy having family and friends around! I have none of that! I've been alone for 15 years, and I'm trapped here for all eternity… assuming God doesn't execute me. That's starting to become a decent option." He had almost forgotten Maude was listening.

"Why execute you? You're trapped here with no way of escape. Besides, you can now see the error of your ways."

"Error? That city had to burn." His voice was soft, but it terrified Maude more than any shout he could have made. "They deserved everything I gave them and more."

"There is no revenge as harsh as forgiveness."

Now Bart was outright laughing. "Forgiveness?! This coming from a judgmental woman who believed anyone who didn't accept Jesus would burn in hell? Your so-called wisdom is worthless!" He knew he had struck a nerve. Maude had learned much since her death.

While she was silent, Bart weighed his options. If he tried and failed, he was doomed for sure, but how much worse could it be than the current situation. _Let's see your precious dome contain this. _He unleashed his wail, the force knocking him back against the dome. It ached terribly, but he did not slow for an instant. The dome crumpled and broke under the force and Bart punched his way out. "Finally! Surprised, Maude?"

She conjured a sword and rushed towards him, trying to stop him from leaving heaven. However, he encased her in a dome. "Let's see how you like it." He growled, but he couldn't quite bring himself to destroy her. The alarms went off, and an entire army surrounded him, numbering at least a few hundred. "Well, welcome to round 1, everybody! Losers perish!" _Okay, maybe I should stop with the crappy dialogue. __Oh, well; this should be a delightful exercise._

Bart immediately went into action, tearing through them. It was quite obvious that most had never been in combat and even the few who were fought in a battle between two opposing armies, not a single powerful opponent. "This is all you idiots can give me?" He smirked confidently, vaporizing another group. "Pathetic." The remaining angels proceeded cautiously, now truly knowing what the depth of his power was.

Even so, Bart was well aware that he was not at full strength after escaping from his prison. The only reason he stayed around was to have something to take his rage out on. The angels began bringing in heavy artillery, firing the cannon. Several struck Bart in the back, sending him spinning for a couple of seconds before he regained his trajectory.

He had to admit, that hurt. He put a shield around himself, deflecting shots as needed. He flew in circles, firing powerful shots that destroyed the machines. Despite this, though, he knew more would be coming and despite his current strength, he doubted he could take on the whole of Heaven's army. _I haven't gotten this far by being stupid._

He hissed in pain as a sword cut his back, and immediately launched eye beams at the attacker. To his surprise, though, the angels were not destroyed. The few remaining on the battlefield retreated, letting them take over. "Probably guardians like Flanders." He muttered to himself. Bart launched his wail and took off, not checking to see what the result was.

He landed on the outskirts of Springfield, grinning. "This city will not escape its face; I will make _sure _of that." Sadness began to creep in, though. He thought of his weakling self, happy with his family. "Why does he have people who love him and I am stuck with absolutely nothing?!" He thought of his parents and sisters, wanting to see them again. Now that nothing stood in the way of his future, he did not have to do anything to them. As for his younger self… he could be replaced.

_This time, boy, you won't escape. _

Sounds ominous, right? This story is probably going to be longer than the last one, possibly by a considerable margin. I have the summary worked out in my head, although things can easily change. Despite what he's done, I can't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the older Bart. Hopefully, I'll be able to update in a week or two.


	2. A future revisited

Updates will be slow, I'm afraid, as my mom will need at least a month to recover. Don't be surprised if some of it is placed inside my story, as I need a form of release. I've been under a lot of stress.

E-Bart landed near Springfield, grinning. _What should I destroy first? So many choices. _He flew up to the Springfield sign and thought to himself. "No, I won't touch my family now that there is no necessity, but this city will burn." He declared to himself. E-Bart came up with the perfect target.

He turned invisible and flew towards Springfield Elementary, which was a major representation of his misery. "I hate them all," He hissed furiously. "Skinner, Jimbo, Krabappel, Martin, Lovejoy… I had to deal with all of them here. No more." He flew inside the school and realized it was not yet time for class.

E-Bart considered waiting for students to show up, but lost patience. This was not a building he ever wanted to see again. "I caused a lot of damage here in my weakness. Let's see them try to repair this!" He charged up a massive blast in his hands, and unleashed it, riding the explosion.

It detonated immediately, sending him through the air. However, his thoughts went to his kindergarten years when his initial hope was crushed by an uncaring teacher. "Lousy whore; I'd love to get my hands on her."

XXXXX

Skinner whistled as he walked towards the school, ready for another day. "I hope I can get at least some students to pass." He sighed. "Superintendent Chalmers has been pushing me hard and I don't want to get fired again." He truly hated having to struggle with the teachers in order to give the kids an education. Most thought he was a lousy principal, but he did pretty well under the circumstances.

_Maybe I could hire some competent teachers but we don't have the money. Well, I suppose I can… _A massive explosion knocked him off his feet. He flew over 10 feet and landed on his back. Once he recovered somewhat, Skinner saw that the entire school was in utter ruin. It was much like when they struck oil, only a hundred times worse.

As far as he could see, nothing was still standing. Springfield Elementary was reduced to little more than a crater with a few pieces of rubble beside it. "What the…" Skinner gasped, seeing a black figure fly above it. _He must be the one responsible for this; he looks familiar but… _He took cover so the creature wouldn't see him.

XXXX

Bart woke up and ate breakfast, still thinking about the figures he had seen the previous night. "What exactly are they planning?" he wondered. "They want to destroy Springfield, but how? What did they say? God, I hate having ADD."

"Bart, stop muttering to yourself and eat your breakfast." Marge complained. Sighing, he did so. "Your father's been trying to steal your food."

"Hey, I'm hungry." Homer argued. "If Bart isn't going to eat it, why can't I?" Bart shoved his plate towards his father, who ate greedily. Marge gave him a stern look, but Homer didn't notice.

"May as well get ready for school,' Bart shuddered. Ever since he had gotten his powers, he had been sorely tempted to lash out at his tormentors. The only reason he had not done so was because he did not want to end up like… like HIM. _It isn't easy being a hero, but I have to. Who else is going to protect people?_

Santa's little helper came towards him, wagging his tail. Bart chuckled and petted him, kneeling down. "You'll always be there for me, won't you boy?" The dog barked in response. 'Damn, I'm hungry. I shouldn't have given Homer my food.

Lisa, meanwhile, was packed up and ready to go. "Hey, Bart, would you mind getting my history book at school today?" she asked. "I think I left it in the principal's office."

"Fine, fine." He sighed, not wanting to. _It's amazing how much I've matured in the past few months. _Bart floated above her for several seconds, and eventually decided to ask the question. "Lis, you mind researching some stuff for me? I had to deal with a couple of powerful angry people last night who wanted to destroy Springfield. Look it up in Ancient Legends or something. You're better at this stuff than I am."

"Do you know anything more than that? It'll help to have a reference point."

"It was dark, and I was fighting for my life. I didn't have time to observe all the details; just that they had a plot to destroy Springfield."

"All right, all right; I'll do what I can, but no promises. I'm going to watch the news."

"Why do you watch it? It's boring; well, except for when I was your co-anchor. It was fun, except for when Willie came after me."

He was interrupted by a long, loud belch from Homer when he sat down on the couch. "Okay, next year, I'll win that contest for sure." He chuckled. "Sherman, you won't beat me… more than 6 times in a row. Sigh, nothing like a few duffs before work." He started flipping channels. "Boring, boring, not sexy enough, too sexy, news, boring, boring; god, there's nothing on! Wait, here's an action movie!" He stopped and set down the remote.

"Good morning, Springfield; I'm Kent Brockman." He said in his usual voice. "Today has taken a destructive tone as an unknown creature has destroyed Springfield Elementary ("Yes!" Bart exclaimed) Arnie, what do you see?"

"It's crazy out there, Kent." Arnie exclaimed. "Cars and street signs are being thrown everywhere. The police are nowhere to be seen. People are running in panic as this creature rips everything to shreds. Oh, forget it! I don't get paid enough to do this!" He fled, but not before Bart managed to catch a brief glimpse of his face.

"He's back." Bart declared in a whisper, although Homer and Lisa were able to hear him.

XXXXX

E-Bart laughed as he destroyed yet another building. It was easy to get so wrapped up in the senseless destruction that he wouldn't have to think about anything. He had to admit, he wasn't paying much attention to the people running in panic; E-Bart didn't really care. True, people were probably dying in the explosions, but they were of little consequence.

That is, until the police showed up. E-Bart blew up the vehicles and continued his rampage. Their guns could not even scratch him, so he did not take them as a threat. Every time a patrol car rounded the corner, he picked it up and threw it into a nearby building. Sometimes the cops managed to get out in time; other time they perished.

E-Bart looked at his surroundings. It had been only half an hour and he had already managed to destroy over 10 city blocks. _It shouldn't take more than a day or two to completely raze this city. In this time, there is no technology that can stop me. _SWAT teams and firefighters began arriving at the scene. Bart attacked them as well, but they were aware of his tactics and many managed to avoid him.

The SWAT team began firing once they were under some cover. E-Bart growled in annoyance; their bullets didn't hurt, but they were rather irritating. E-Bart flew around and fired more shots, but it did nothing to reduce the volley. _Whatever; they're a waste of my time. _He began to broaden his horizons, blowing up more buildings.

In one case, he destroyed an entire block with his sonic attack, to which he laughed gleefully. "Now where is my younger self," He muttered to himself. "I know him and he would not stand by while I destroy the city." The answer came by way of fist, as Bart slammed into his side, knocking him several hundred feet. "Welcome to the show, Bart."

"You monster; you'll pay for this." Bart dived towards his older self, who simply put up a shield with a chuckle.

"I see you haven't learned anything." E-Bart smirked, going on the offensive. He fired shot after shot, but Bart managed to avoid them all. _Looks like he's learned a few things, but no matter; it won't save him. _"If you had, you'd be fleeing this doomed city."

Bart's response was to speed up and punch him across the jaw, followed with a massive blast to the gut. E-Bart glared death; _He's gotten stronger, then; that actually hurt! _"I'm twice as strong as I was last time." Bart declared, trying to give himself confidence.

"But your catchphrases are no more original." E-Bart charged towards his younger self, delivering a shock. Bart screamed, but managed to get away by kicking him across the jaw. He fired another blast, but E-Bart smacked it aside. "So pathetic. Haven't you learned anything?"

"Yeah: I'm never going to become you!"

"Perhaps, but your fate is independent of mine. That means I can do whatever I want to you." E-Bart charged forward, firing energy out of his eyes. Bart dodged most shots and blocked the ones he couldn't avoid.

_Okay, I still can't beat this guy. _Bart groaned to himself. On some level, he knew this already. He was merely trying to buy enough time to get people out. E-Bart kicked him in the ribs, sending him into a damaged building. His eyes glowed red with hate. Bart panted, struggling to recover.

But his future self wasn't about to give him a chance. He threw a flurry of punches and bit into his flesh. "You're weak; you always have been." E-Bart laughed. Bart groaned and tried to escape his grip, but his evil self was too strong.

"No, I'm not weak." He said quietly. "I am not weak!" He fired eye beams, which weakened E-Bart grip because of the surprise, and gave him the chance to escape. Bart dived into him, smashing his nose before E-Bart flung him away.

"Not bad, but you'll need to do better." E-Bart conceded, healing his nose. He was well aware that the more time passed by, the greater the difference in power would shrink. He put a shield around him and beckoned his younger self forward.

They continued to battle, but it was obvious that the older Bart had the upper hand. Bart knew he wouldn't last much longer without aid. His prayers seemed to have been answered when his evil self was knocked aside by an angel.

"Come on, we have to beat him." Maude encouraged. "We can do it if we work together." She drew a sword and faced E-Bart.

"Those who play together lose together, Maude." E-Bart laughed, conjuring a sword of his own. "You should have left me alone; now you're going to die like everyone in this fucking city." Maude parried his blows, trying to find a weak spot. True, he had no real skill to speak of, but he had so much strength that it didn't matter.

Bart fired his eye blast, but his evil self smacked them aside and flew above one of Maude's thrusts. He rained hell on the duo, injuring them and destroying any structures that were still standing in the area. Maude protected Bart with a white shield, but E-Bart eventually broke through it.

They flew higher in the air and continued to fight. None of their shots were very accurate and with the older Bart, even the few that made contact did almost nothing to him. He was slightly winded, but his opponents were much more so.

"Do you have some kind of a plan?" Bart asked Maude.

"I'm thinking of one." Maude admitted. "You distract him while I stab him from behind." She fired a few token shots as a distraction, while Bart barreled into him. He punched him several times across the jaw and threw him off. E-Bart grabbed his young self before he could launch a counterattack and delivered an electric shock to his body.

Maude charged forward, only to be grabbed by the neck. "I knew what you were going to do." He bragged. "Even if you had succeeded, it would not be enough." He punched her ribs and extended claws, tearing into her soul. Bart tried to defend her, but all his attacks were blocked or dodged. "I confess myself disappointed. You are supposed to be my guardian." Before he could deliver the killing blow, she disappeared.

If Bart was frightened before, he was terrified now. Even with Maude helping him, they didn't have a chance at winning, but they could at least fight back. Without her, though… he wouldn't last a minute. He gulped and turned to face what was almost his future.

E-Bart flew forward, his fists glowing with power. Bart put up a shield and while it didn't protect him completely, he was spared the worst of it. However, it was only a temporary respite as his energy reserves were going down rapidly. E-Bart pounded whatever shields he managed to put up and even his new power was not enough to withstand the assault. He fell to the ground, though he slowed himself enough so that it would not be fatal. He braced himself for the final blow…

Only to have Marge shielding him with her body. E-Bart stopped for a second, hesitant to attack her. "Leave him alone." She demanded. "If you want to kill him, you'll have to go through me."

"Please, mother; don't make me laugh." He grinned. "Your weak son has my powers and he can't stand against me; you are only a human." He charged up a shot in his right hand, using his left to put up a shield so they would not be interrupted. "Die!"

Both of them closed their eyes, expecting to die, but the shot hit several feet above them. "You couldn't do it, could you?" she informed, though she was pretty surprised herself. "In spite of your terrible power, the people you've killed in your rampage, you're still my son!"

E-Bart was not able to reply as a portal opened behind him, sucking him in. He struggled, but even his power was not enough to resist. When it subsided, he looked at his surroundings. One of the locals was not familiar, though the other two were none other than Elizabeth and Gideon Crosse.

"If it isn't my old enemies," Bart laughed. "I don't know who you are, but I'll destroy all of you."

"Is that so, weakling?" A voice boomed behind him. Bart turned around and saw a red figure easily 4 times his height. He had horns and was carrying a sword in one hand and a mace in the other. "Your choices are simple: submit or die."

"Apparently you don't know who I am." Bart laughed. "But I'll be happy to show you." He fired a moderate shot, expecting the figure to be vaporized. Instead, his opponent smacked it aside with ease. Bart's eyes widened; whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. He wasn't going to give up so easily, though. He fired his strongest blast, not wishing to be beaten. His opponent fired red energy in the middle of it, and it became a struggle for power.

Bart pushed more and more energy into his hands, now starting to feel fear. He was obviously far more powerful than Maude or his weak self. The other matched it and for over a minute, it went back and forth. However, Bart was showing considerable strain, while it had no noticeable effect on the large being. "I grow bored of this." He laughed, using all his power, which easily overcame and sent him to the floor.

Groaning, Bart slowly got up, determined to beat his opponent. _But how? He's stronger than I am! _"I'm not done yet." He got up, putting a shield around himself. The giant smirked and fired crimson eye beams, which Bart barely managed to defend himself from. He dodged more of them, as he was no longer confident in his ability.

Furious, Bart fired his wail, not holding anything back. His opponent simply smirked and put a shield around himself while the area shook around them. The other three took cover and watched the contest with interest. When Bart let up, he saw that he hadn't so much as dented his shield. Before he could come up with another plan, he found himself screaming from a powerful bolt of lightning. "What… what the hell are you?" He managed to gasp out.

"I am Satan, the king of darkness." He laughed. "I have heard of your triumph in your timeline, but he was merely an impostor. However, I will admit you put up a decent struggle, more so than those two." He pointed to Elizabeth and Gideon. Satan raised his hand again. Bart felt a burning sensation, and saw a red skull burning on his chest. "Aid me in my rise to power, and you will be placed high in my councils. Refuse, and you will die."

Reluctantly, Bart agreed to it, but he would find a way out. True, he was almost invincible, but he had weakness, which he intended to find. "Now that we understand each other, let me introduce everyone." Satan said pleasantly. "You already know Elizabeth and Gideon, I see, and this is my second in command, Randall Flagg."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Flagg laughed. He wore blue jeans with cowboy boots and a shirt. He would almost have looked human, save for his glowing eyes.

"As for what I want you to do, you need to find 10 crystals that contain the power that was stripped away from me." Satan smirked. "I know the location of 5, but to help you, take these. They will allow you to know if a crystal is nearby. Eventually, I will give you your final instructions."

Elizabeth and Gideon were both planning to break away as soon as they figured out how. Obviously, those crystals had great power, but how could they be turned to their advantage? In the meantime, though, they would have to follow orders. Flagg watched all three of them suspiciously. He knew they were plotting treason against his lord, and was not about to let them.

Bart, meanwhile, already had a scheme in mind.

Yes, I admit I got the idea from "Master and Apprentice" for which I give him credit for. However, this will be quite different, as you will soon find out. He cannot destroy any of them through the mark, but he will know what they are doing. (He can't read minds, though) Not to mention there's a story explaining all this.


	3. New allies, new difficulties

Yeah, I'll bet you really hate me for the cliffhanger. Just so you know this is likely to be longer than "The ultimate enemy". I'm also thinking of putting a one-shot up that gives you some specifics about how Bart turned to the dark side.

In addition, I thought of a song that matches the battle between the two Barts in the last story. It's "Neodammerung", the final fight between Smith and Neo. Anyone else have any ideas?

Bart opened his eyes, and found he was in the hospital. He winced, waiting for Dr. Hibbert to come in and say there was no hope. "I hate that guy." To his surprise, though, it was Professor Frink.

"I'm glad to see you awake, my little sociopathic hero." Frink exclaimed, not seeing or not caring about the oxymoron. "You took quite a beating with the burns and the bruises, and the… oh, God, it's happening again!"

"I'm glad to see you're all right, sweetie." Marge informed him. "You were going to live, but… I thought we were both finished." _I still don't understand why he finished both of us. He doesn't seem the type to show any kind of mercy._

"Hey, boy, glad you're all right." Homer chuckled. "Man, you gave an ass-kicking to your evil self. He ran with his tail between his legs!"

"I don't know; he's still far stronger than Bart." Lisa mused. "Why would he run away just as he was about to win? No, I think something sucked him into the portal. I can't decide if that's good or bad."

"Hey, it's good!" Bart exclaimed. "He was beating the crap out of me, though I managed to get a few bruises. Why am I not at the hospital?"

"Because, Bart, the hospital is overflowing!" Frink exclaimed. "This alternate self of yours destroyed a good part of downtown with the screaming and the laughing and the twisted smile. Not too many people were killed, but thousands were injured. Now I would like to know how you managed to get those amazing powers!"

"That's none of your business." Marge snapped.

"Yeah; leave him alone, Poindexter." Homer added.

"I don't know many details myself, and I'm not sharing what I do know." Bart informed. "Just be careful; I met a couple of mysterious things tonight and they are plotting to destroy Springfield."

"I'll see what I can find out." Lisa replied. "I told you I would. Now go back to sleep. You're still weak and you need your rest."

"Get better soon, sweetie." Marge said, kissing him on the forehead.

"Don't worry; soon you'll be giving them hell." Homer smiled, rubbing his son's hair. Reluctantly, they left (though not in Homer's case, as they were waiting over two hours) still looking at Bart. Frink checked the machines and started muttering to himself; Bart didn't have any clue what he was muttering.

"You'll be out of here in a few days." Frink assured him. Before he could say anything more, he exclaimed. "How did you get past my security?" Bart looked his way and saw a cloaked figure staring at him.

"Hello, Bart; I've been waiting for you."

XXXXXX

"I hate this place." Elizabeth growled at she, Gideon, E-Bart, and Flagg looked at Vatican City. "It reminds me too much of being buried."

"None of us care, woman." E-Bart rolled his eyes. "Let's just do this and get it over with. I still want to blast my way in. As powerful as I am, why do we need to bother with stealth?"

"Think about it, fool!" Flagg snapped. "We do not know what sort of defenses they have set up. Use your brain for once!"

"We're almost at the Lateran Place, if you're interested." Gideon pointed out. "Flagg's right; they have a shield up designed to keep demons out."

"Let's see it stand against me!" Elizabeth screeched, and charged towards it, claws glowing. However, she was unable to penetrate the shield, and it soon became too painful to proceed.

"Watch and learn, bitch." E-Bart laughed, and launched his sonic attack, quickly breaking it. _If that's what passes for defense, this should be easy. Hell, even Elizabeth could have broken it if she didn't charge right into it. _He didn't notice that Flagg had to stop Gideon from attacking E-Bart from behind.

"All right, they'll be on their guard." Flagg warned. "You know what to do."

_Thanks so much for stating the obvious. _Gideon rolled his eyes. He was still furious at that twisted thing insulting his wife, but would let it go for the moment. There would be time for revenge later. Elizabeth and Flagg led them, while E-Bart stayed at the back, thoroughly bored.

They had not been idle. Almost one hundred angels and priests stood ready to defend. Elizabeth charged towards them, Gideon following. He killed two with his scythe, while Flagg used a complex spell to rip apart a priest. However, going was slow and all three were quickly becoming irritated.

"You are supposed to assist us, slave!" Flagg exclaimed, looking at E-Bart who was simply floating there, whistling to himself.

"Fine, fine." He laughed; it was quite easy to enrage Flagg. The fact that it was a bad idea didn't even register in his brain. He vaporized three angels in a single shot. "Is that enough for you?"

_That idiot's going to get us killed. _Gideon worried as he parried a blow from an angel. He and Elizabeth were wise enough to keep their mouths shut when Satan wanted something done. Their comrade, on the other hand, did not seem to have the slightest idea of caution. Flagg was wasting time arguing with him while they were quickly becoming overwhelmed. Gideon sent out a wave of energy, knocking them back and he sped towards his wife.

"Worthless priests," she snarled, tearing into another one. He prayed, but it did not save him from being ripped apart. "Come on! I'll tear you all apart!" Her wings spread in a challenging stance. Flagg joined her, kicking another angel inside and sped inside the building. Both Crosses followed, not wanting to anger him. E-Bart rolled his eyes and after vaporizing a few more spirits, flew in as well.

"Jeez, you'd think they'd try covering this in something over than white?" E-Bart quipped, looking at the surroundings where, indeed, it has been recently painted white. (I've never been there, so that's probably not how it actually looks) It was quite confusing, but thanks to Flagg's device, they eventually managed to find their away around. E-Bart watched as one of their booby traps nearly took Flagg's head off. _I feel like I'm watching one of those stupid Egyptian curse movies. _

Elizabeth cut her way through the few guards remaining inside and they proceeded to the room. The crystal was blue and seated on a pedestal. Flagg stopped, using his powers to see if there was any sort of trap. When one registered, Gideon destroyed it with his scythe.

"Are we supposed to be impressed?" E-Bart laughed. "That would have been easy for me." _Why did Satan wait all this time… and why the fuck do I care? _

"Finally, after all these years," Flagg whispered to himself. "Now we can finally have our revenge and overwhelm the so-called almighty! He will deeply regret warring with us." Flagg soon found himself smashed against a wall, courtesy of E-Bart.

"Yeah, yeah; I've heard that speech a thousand times."

If Elizabeth and Gideon were scared before, they were truly terrified now. He actually dared to attack one of Satan's top generals?! _If we're still around at the end of this, it'll be surprising. _Elizabeth sighed. Flagg looked like he wanted to attack, but instead shook his head in utter disbelief. She walked towards the crystal and grabbed it, handing it to Flagg.

"So what do we do now?" Gideon asked. "Where's the next crystal?"

"The nearest one that I know of is in Ireland, but it shouldn't be heavily guarded." Flagg mused. "There are two in the United States, probably because they hoped it would remain isolated and hidden, but before we get those, we turn in what we have to our lord."

"He's no lord of mine." E-Bart scoffed. "Still, it's better than being trapped inside that stupid dome."

"Yes, I would agree with him." Elizabeth nodded. "Not only to we all have scores to settle, it is our homeland. We'll have some familiarity with it." _And if I have anything to do with it, Satan will never touch it. But how do I get it for myself? He is watching everything we do._

"For once, we agree, whore." E-Bart replied. Elizabeth blasted him in the face with energy, sending him spiraling but not much else. "Sensitive, aren't we?" He returned fire, hitting Gideon in the leg. He flew towards Elizabeth and punched her repeatedly in the torso. She brought her claws against him, but all they did was tear the fabric.

Gideon attacked from behind, swinging his scythe. E-Bart avoided a direct blow, but it still hurt. "I don't care how powerful you are; this weapon will finish you." He snarled. In saying so, he unwittingly gave him a vital piece to his plan. E-Bart grabbed the scythe and tried using it against him, Gideon barely managing to hold onto it.

Elizabeth fired more spells towards him, but E-Bart was ready and deflected them with his shield. "Enough; this is pointless!" Flagg exclaimed. "I will consider your suggestion. Now where was the nearest one? Yes, it's in the town you call Shelbyville." All three of them grinned at that. True, it would be a long trip, but all of them had plans for Springfield. _Why the United States? They are planning something; I'm sure of it. I had better warn him. _

XXXXXX

"So who the hell are you?" Bart wondered. The woman was attractive, and looked to be in her 30's. However, what was most prominent was an amulet she wore around her neck.

"The name is Catherine Davison." She gave him a feral smile. "I was sent here to ensure that Elizabeth Crosse would not be resurrected, but apparently I was too late. To survive against her husband, much less her… it's almost unheard of. I'm impressed."

"They said something about destroying Springfield before they were sucked in some kind of portal." Bart remembered. "Do you know anything about that?" Catherine stayed silent for almost a minute. _So it is far worse than I had originally feared._

"We'll talk about that later. What exactly was that creature destroying Springfield? I saw you and some other fighting it. From all accounts, you were getting your butts kicked."

_He's what I almost became. _Aloud, he said: "Some maniac that wants to destroy Springfield; I don't know many of the details."

_You're lying, Bart, but why?_ Catherine knew Bart and the demon had some kind of relationship. Obviously, they hated each other, but he hesitated to destroy Bart's mother. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Still, it wasn't important at the moment. "You did good, kid. However, things have become much worse."

"What do you mean?" Bart didn't see how things could get any worse.

"Neither of them disappeared of their own volition. Whatever actually managed to capture the demon you were fighting has a great deal of power. In my experience, that does not mean anything but bad news."

"All right, but what exactly are we supposed to do?"

"I'll let you know when I think of it; I don't have much information myself, you realize." She left as soon as she appeared. _A lot of people seem to do that in my life lately.__ Why can't anyone just give me a straight answer? _Bart thought He got out of bed and stretched, now much more confident.

He flew out of the window and towards home, although Frink would have advised against it. "At least he actually cares, which is more than I can say for most." He muttered to himself.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, back at the Simpsons house the family waited anxiously for news. True, Bart was going to be all right, but he had taken quite a beating. All of them were afraid of his evil self returning. Even Lisa did not understand why he had simply disappeared.

Santa's little helper pounced around, trying to get their attention. Chuckling, Lisa patted him on the head. "Yeah, you want to see him home too, don't you?" For the period Bart had been in the hospital, Santa's Little Helper ate much more and seemed to be weaker. Oddly enough, though, he hadn't gained any weight.

"I still don't understand it." Marge stated for the tenth time. "He had us at his mercy; he should have killed us. It just doesn't fit with his personality."

"Maybe he just couldn't do it when you showed up, Marge." Homer suggested. Lisa just about tripped; had her father actually said something smart?

"Perhaps we have misjudged him." Lisa thought to herself. "Of course, it would help if Bart would actually tell me about his fight, but I don't want to push him."

Santa's Little Helper started barking again. He was rolling around on the ground, as if he was trying to get rid of fleas. However, he was yelping much too loudly for that. Neither of them had any idea of what to do. It went on for several minute before he went quiet, panting hard.

"Maybe we should call the vet." Marge wondered.

"We can't afford that; we can barely afford keeping the boy in that nerd's hospital." Homer complained. Lisa knelt down beside the dog, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. He moaned in pain, but did not move. She felt they might be able to help him, after all.

That is, until she felt blood in her eyes. Marge and Homer saw the dog covered with it. Santa's Little Helper yelped loudly, but could do nothing. After about a minute, there was a bigger explosion of blood, and he lay still.

"What the hell is that?" Homer exclaimed. Lisa and Marge looked at the body and saw a creature coming out of the chest. It hissed and looked at them, still covered in blood. It was perhaps 6 inches high, but even so, none of the family dared to go near it.

It jumped out of the chest cavity before they had time to react, running faster than any of them could. Marge was the first to recover. "Seal every entrance out of the house." Marge ordered. "We can't let that thing escape!" Homer and Lisa rushed to do so, while she sprinted towards Maggie and carried her.

The doors were locked everywhere, along with any large crack that the creature could fit through. Still, it had been almost an hour and there was no sign of the creature. "We've got to look for it, but stay together." Lisa warned. Marge grabbed a kitchen knife.

"D'oh! I left my shotgun in the garage." Homer realized. He reluctantly sighed and picked up a heavy stick while Lisa got another knife. Cautiously, they moved forward. The bedrooms were searched and considered free. Marge closed all of them, trying to corner the creature.

Next they checked the closets. It was not there now, but it had been, considering how Homer's desserts were ransacked. Homer moaned, and promised to kill the beast. Marge closed the closets one by one, not leaving anything to chance.

"You think that thing can climb on walls?" Homer asked.

"I doubt it, but… we don't know anything about this." Lisa admitted. _Like we needed anything more to worry about. _Marge looked at the ceiling, and it had no evidence that their prey had even touched it. All of them went back to the living room, where they saw the dog half-eaten. Lisa threw up on the floor, unable to control herself. Neither of her parents was far behind.

"What kind of creature is this?" Homer demanded to the sky.

"It's probably searching for food." Lisa reasoned. Sure enough, it was raiding the refrigerator. It was now about twice its previous size and once it spotted them, it attacked. Homer screamed as he tried to fight the creature. It bit him several times in the side, trying to tear his throat open. Marge tried to pull it off, only to have the creature nearly slice her hand off.

Lisa kicked it to the wall, and Homer sealed off the kitchen so it could not escape. Hissing furiously, it readied itself for their next move. Marge approached it, but it moved faster than any of them thought and bit her legs, crawling up her body. Marge fell to the ground, trying to fight against it, but it was simply too fast.

Homer swung his stick, but accidentally hit Marge in the gut. The shock her body endured was enough for the creature to tear her skin apart as if it was paper. It started to eat some of the torn flesh. With a final effort, she managed to get away, but she was obviously out of the fight.

Furious, Homer swung his stick wildly. He managed to get a glancing blow, but that was far from enough to kill it. Even so, it took a few seconds to recover, which Lisa used to stab it through the head. What happened next was even more surprising: The knife actually began to dissolve, and the blood was eating through the floor. By the time it finally stopped, it had delved a foot-deep hole in the ground.

"So this was part of her plan." Lisa whispered to herself. "Buddha knows how many more of these things there are."

Now this story is finally starting to take shape. Hopefully, updates will be more frequent from now on. My mom is recovering, but my classes, particularly English are becoming more demanding.


End file.
